Refrigerated car



May 8, 1962 P. N. ERICKSON REFRIGERATED CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April14, 1960 May 8, 1962 P. N. ERICKSON REFRIGERATED CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed April 14, 1960 IN VEN TOR. /vdz/ /1,/ fri-$077.

3,033,130 Patented May 8, 1962 Delaware Filed Apr. 14, 1960, Ser. No.22,269 5 Claims. (Cl. 10S-396) The present invention relates torefrigerated railroad cars and more particularly, to an improvedconstruction for such a car in which the insulated side walls of the carare provided with supporting elements for co-operating with freightbracing members to enable the improved bracing and supporting ofmerchandise in fully refrigerated railroad cars.

In the railroad industry a well recognized distinction has developedbetween insulated cars and refrigerated cars, the former term insulatedcars being used to refer to cars which do not carry any refrigerationsystem and which are provided with only token insulation. it is wellknown to equip insulated cars with supporting elements along the sidewalls for co-operation in the supporting and bracing of merchandise inthe cars. The term refrigerated car is recognized in the railroadindustry as identifying a car which carries its own refrigerating systemand which is fully insulated. In these cars the manufacturers havecontinuously refused to permit any installation of supporitng elementsfor use as a part of the freight bracing apparatus on the insulated sidewalls of the cars where this installation results in detracting in anyway from the insulating characteristics of the unmodified refrigeratedcar. Accordingly, it has been impossible to mount such Vsupportingelements in refrigerated cars by connecting these supporting elements tothe outer walls of the car, or in any way modifying the construction ina manner such as to provide a path along which heat may more readilyflow from the refrigerated compartment to the outer walls of the car.

The assignee of the present application has developed and marketed underits trademarks QL and DF improved freight bracing apparatus for thesupporting and bracing of merchandise in freight cars. One form of thisDF apparatus is illustrated in Tobin et al. Patent No. 2,725,826, andone preferred form includes belt rails mounted upon and extendinglongitudinally of the side walls of the car. These belt rails may beused either to support cross-bars, one form of which is illustrated inthe above mentioned Tobin et al. patent, or they may be used as a partof the QL apparatus to support and secure in place a movable bulkhead,one form of which is illustrated in the co-pending application of S. M.Nampa, Serial No. 669,170, filed July 1, 1957, also assigned to theassignee of the present application.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedrefrigerated railroad car Construction including supporting elementsadapted to form a part of a freight bracing apparatus and including animproved construction for mounting these support elements on theinsulated sidewalls of the refrigerated car.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such animproved construction which does not materially alter the insulatingcharacteristics of the unmodified insulated side wall of therefrigerated car.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such animproved refrigerated car construction which is readily adapted eitherfor incorporation in the car during the initial manufacture thereof, orfor incorporation in existing cars by a modification thereof.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improvedrefrigerated car construction of the above mentioned type which isreadily usable with supporting elements of widely differing shapes anddesigns.

Other and more detailed objects of the present invention will be readilyappreciated by those skilled in the art from a consideration of thefollowing specification, the appended claims, and the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a transverse sectional view of a refrigerated railroad carconstructed according to the present invention and showing the interiorof the car in perspective, the undercarriage being omitted and portionsbeing broken away to show additional features of construction;

FlGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view of that portion of thestructureshown in FIGURE 1 indicated by the circle 2 thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view in perspective showing a portion of thestructure illustrated in FIGURE 2 and having portions removed to showadditional detail; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the portion of the structureillustrated in FGURE 1 indicated by the circle 3 thereof.

Referring to the drawings, there is there illustrated one preferredembodiment of the present invention and it will be appreciated that theimprovements of the present invention may be readily embodied inconstructions employing a wide variety of freight bracing apparatussupporting elements. For purposes of illustration, but not by way oflimitation, in the preferred embodiment illustrated, the supportingelements shown are angle-shaped belt rails as hereinafter described. Theimprovements of the present invention may obviously be readily employedfor the support of supporting elements of widely diifering shapes andsizes.

In FIGURE l the refrigerated car there illustrated is generallydesignated yby the reference character 10 and the opposite side wallsthereof each include an outer sheet 12 of sheet metal. inwardly of thisouter sheet each side wall includes a relatively thick layer ofinsulating material 14 disposed adjacent thereto and two additionallayers of insulating material 16 and 18 disposed inwardly thereof.Structural support for each side wall is provided -by a series oflongitudinally spaced vertically extending post members 2t), inaccordance with conventional car construction, these posts 20 being ofwhat is known as hatsection shape, as illustrated in the lower left-handportion of FIGURE 1, and the outer sheet y12 being secured thereto as bywelding. The posts 20 carry a plurality of vertically spacedlongitudinally extending stringers 22 formed of wood or other suitableinsulating material and which are supported in spaced relation relativeto the post 2li by laminated insulated blocks 24 which are formed of asuitable insulating material such as hardboard or plywood. The abovementioned insulating layers la and 18 extend vertically ybetween theadjacent horizontally extending stringers 22. Inwardly of the innerinsulating layer 18 is a dead-air space 26 which is defined by spacedlayers 28 and 30 of hardboard or other suitable material, the layer 28being against the inner surface of the layer 18 and extending betweenadjacent upper and lower stringers 22 and the layer 3@ being secured tothe inner faces 32 of the stringers 22. Also secured to and supported onthe stringersZZ are a plurality of vertically extending longitudinallyVspaced inner dining supporting members 34 which, in the preferredembodiment illustrated, are 2 X 4s These verticals 34 are secured to thestringers Z2. by suitable securing means (not shown) such as nails,screws, bolts orthe like extending through the hardboard layer 30. Theinner lining of each side wall consists of a plurality of longitudinallyextending tongue and groove interftted wood lboards *36.

The construction so far described is conventional in previously knownrefrigerated railroad cars. In accordance with conventional practice,such cars also include,

as above mentioned, their own refrigerating system (not shown) andcirculate air into a header space in the overhead, which space isindicated at 38 and from which the air circulates down through the sidewalls between the inner lining boards 36 and the hardboard 30 throughvertically extending air channels 4t) between the spaced verticals 34.Also, in accordance with conventional practice, this air flows into themerchandise compartment adjacent the floor 42 of the car and returnsbelow the floor grate 44 which supports the merchandise in spacedrelation above the oor 42.

In accordance with the present invention, the above describedconventional construction is modified at a plurality of verticallyspaced points along the car wall vertically aligned with the stringers22 to provide a suitable mounting for freight bracing apparatussupporting elements, which in the preferred embodiment illustrated arethe angle-shaped belt rails 46 which extend longitudinally of the car.

At each level at which a belt rail 46 is to be mounted the car wallinner lining 36 is omitted or removed to provide an opening defined byspaced upper and lower inner lining boards 36 and there is substitutedbetween the spaced upper and lower inner lining boards 36 the belt railsupporting structure best illustrated in FIGURE 2 which, as thereillustrated, comprises an elongated flat metal strip or plate 48disposed to extend horizontally of the car through the air channels A4Gand with the upper and lower portions thereof, 50 and 52, respectively,in engagement with the upper and lower inner lining boards 36. Theverticals 34 may be relieved to tit over the strip `48.

A second elongated metal strip or plate 54 of hatshaped cross sectionhas a central web portion 56 disposed in engagement with and welded tothe central portion of the strip 48 and having upper and lower offsetedge portions 58 and 6G, respectively, which overlie the oppositesurface of the upper and lower inner lining boards 36 and thusco-operate with the upper and lower portions 50 and 52 of the strip 58to deiine upwardly and down wardly facing channels which receive theadjacent edge portions of the upper and lower boards 36.

As best illustrated in FIGURE 2, a continuous layer of a sealing andadhesive material 62 is provided between the channels dened by the plateportions Sti, 52, 58 and 60 and the portions of the lining boards 36received therein. Also, screws or bolts 64 may be provided extendingthrough the channels defined by the plates 48 and 54 and through theboards 36 received therein, to draw the channels up tightly against theboards 36. The plate 48 is supported on the adjacent Stringer 22 by aplurality of spaced clips 66, each of which, as best illustrated inFIGURE 2, has a central web portion 68 extending along and welded to theadjacent outer face of the central portion of the strip 48 and has apair of oppositely extending flange portions 70 disposed in spacedparallel relation to the web portion 68 and which are secured to thestringers 22 by screws 72 extending through the hardboard layer 30 andinto the stringer 22.

In the preferred embodiment, in addition, a layer of adhesive material74 is also provided between the clip flanges 70 and the hardboard 30.The adhesive material indicated at 62 and 74 is a conventionalstructural adhesive material which performs both sealing and bondingfunctions. The web portion 56 of the strip 54 provides a support uponwhich may be mounted the belt rail 46 or any other suitable freightbracing apparatus supporting element. In the preferred embodimentillustrated the angle-shaped belt rail 46 is disposed with a verticalflange 76 extending along and in contact with the web portion 56 and iswelded thereto and the horizontal flange 78 of the belt rail is providedwith a plurality of spaced apertures Si). As indicated above, theparticular belt rail 46 illustrated is adapted for cooperation with afreight supporting and bracing bulkhead indicated at 82 which may besupported on and attached to the belt rails 46 by sprockets and fittingsor latch members (not illustrated) which may be of the constructionillustrated and dcscribed in the above mentioned co-pending Nampa application, Serial No. 669,l70, or of any other suitable construction. Also,as pointed out above, if desired the belt rails 46 may be employed toysupport crossbars (not shown) of any suitable construction, oneembodiment of which is illustrated and described in the above mentionedTobin et al. Patent No. 2,725,826.

FIGURE 4 illustrates the mounting of the uppermost belt rail 46. Sincethis uppermost belt rail 46 is to be mounted substantially below theuppermost Stringer 22, and since the support for the belt rail 46 inthis case replaces the uppermost inner lining boards 36, the supportingplate 54' corresponding to the above described supporting plate 54 hasits upper edge portion 58' spaced from the upper edge portion 50 of theplate 48 to define an upwardly facing channel portion adapted to receivethe ceiling Stringer 84. Also, in place of the clips 66, the assemblycomprising the plate S4 and the plate 4S to which it is secured issupported on the uppermost Stringer 22 by a plurality of longitudinallyspaced hangers 86, the depending flange S8 of which is welded to thecentral portion of the plate `4S and an upwardly extending flange 9? ofwhich is secured by suitable bolts 92 to the uppermost stringer 22. Thelower portion of the construction illustrated in FIGURE 4 is the same asthat illustrated in FIGURE 2 and described above.

While only one specific embodiment of the invention has been illustratedand described herein, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled inthe art that numerous modifications and changes may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

l. In a `refrigerated railroad car having insulated side walls, spacedvertical metal reinforcing members in said side walls, vertically spacedhorizontal non-metallic Stringer members disposed inwardly of said carrelative to and mounted on said reinforcing members, each of said sidewalls also including a car inner lining which includes vertically spacedupper and lower car inner lining portions, horizontally disposed metalstructural means extending longitudinally of said car and substantiallycoextensive in length with said side walls and disposed between spacedupper and lower car inner lining portions and defining upwardly anddownwardly opening channels tted over and receiving said upper and lowercar inner lining portions, a substantially continuous layer of sealingmaterial between each of said upper and lower inner lining portions andthe channel in which it is received, said structural means beingdisposed inwardly of said car relative to said Stringer members inspaced relation thereto to permit the circulation of air therebetween,supporting means disposed between said Stringer members and saidstructural means at a plurality of points spaced longitudinally thereofand connected to said stringer members and to said structural means tosupport said structural means on said Stringer members, and ahorizontally disposed belt rail extending along and connected to andsupported on said structural means.

2. In a refrigerated railroad car having insulated side walls, spacedvertical metal reinforcing members in said side walls, vertically spacedhorizontal non-metallic Stringer members disposed inwardly of said carrelative to and mounted on said reinforcing members, each of said sidewalls having an inner lining which includes vertically spaced upper andlower inner lining elements disposed adjacent one of said Stringermembers, metal structural means disposed between said upper and lowerlining elements extending longitudinally of said side walls of said carand sealed to each of said elements to substantially prevent the ow ofair or moisture therebetween, said structural means being disposedinwardly of said car relative to said Stringer members in spacedrelation thereto to permit the circulation of air therebetween, aplurality of supporting means spaced longitudinally of and supportingsaid structural means on said one of said Stringer members, and a beltrail extending longitudinally of and supported on said structural means.

3. The combination deiined in claim 1, wherein said `structural meansincludes a pair of interconnected plates deiining spaced oppositelyfacing channel portions adapted to lit over said upper and lower innerlining portions and an intermediate support portion along which saidbelt trail extends.

4. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said means supportingsaid structural means comprises a plurality of clips spacedlongitudinally of said structural means and supporting said structuralmeans on said Stringer member in spaced relation thereto and inwardlyReferences Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,610,587 Pietzsch Sept. 16, 1952 2,891,489 Pietzsch .lune 23, 19592,911,924 Hopkins et al Nov. 10, 1959 2,914,004 Hopkins Nov. 24, 1959

